HomeWeekend Focus Endurance Cycle

Weekend Focus Endurance Cycle

We put up a pretty heavy duty routine for endurance athletes, and got some great feedback on the fact that people, you know, have jobs. So here's a routine for endurance athletes focused on putting the bulk of the work on the weekends, and using weeknights to incrementally work on specific issues. Consult your physician or physical therapist before undertaking any new workout regimen.

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday Sunday
    1. Toe Grabs
    2. Two Foot Toe Raises
    3. Two Leg Lifts
    4. Jump Rope

Each weekday workout should be about an hour. You'll get a great workout from the Jump Rope, which is a lot more challenging than people realize. It can be done in addition to cardio like your bike, elliptical or row machine. We'll also try to keep the items related, so you won't have to get in and out of the pool.
  1. Double Leg Squats on Instability Disks
  2. Reverse Double Leg Squat on Instability Disks
  3. Slant Board 101
    1. Two Leg Lifts
    2. Two Arm Push-Ups on an Exercise Ball
    3. Kick Backs
    4. Sword Pulls
    5. The Bridge
    6. Arm Circles

Remember to mind your form during Ballwork exercises. Don't try to do a set number of reps...do it until your form fails, and move to the next exercise quickly. Use a mirror, or have a friend keep an eye on your form. If you go through and still have some time left to work, go through it again, or move quickly into another Ballwork exercise, for example knee circles.
    1. Heavy Rope
    2. Slant Board 101
    3. Inward Outward Pipes
    4. Perpendicular Pipes
    5. Pipe Walk

Be sure to add instability if the slant board exercises get too easy: throw a ball back and forth at random levels with a friend, or bounce it off a wall and catch it. You can also increase the angle of the board, but do that sparingly. The slant board is a challenging device. The Heavy Rope is a specific device, not just a "weighted" rope like some gyms will have.
    1. Row Machine SSL Style
    2. Jump Rope
    3. High-Intensity AquaKinetic Training: Arms
    4. High-Intensity AquaKinetic Training: Legs

We'll ramp up the intensity on today. Be sure to take a recovery-friendly Epsom salt bath, or get a massage at the gym if possible. Saturday isn't going to be easy. If you don't have access to a pool, do the Ballistic Ball Workout followed by the Foundational Footwork.
    1. Ankle Band Stretching
    2. Leg Band Stretches
    3. Loaded Hamstring Stretch
    4. Upper Body Band Stretching
    5. Slant Board 101
    6. Two Leg Lifts
    7. Endurance Sprint
    8. Leg Lunges
    9. Knee Circles
    10. Swimmer
    11. Side to Side
    12. Core Hold
    13. Two Leg Lifts
    14. Two Legged Jumps

After the band stretches and slant board, you'll have a sprint reset. You can ride an exercise bike for a set if you can't get somewhere you can sprint. Try to mimic a sprint reset on the bike: pedal as hard as you can for 6-7 seconds, rest a minute, then pedal hard for 9-10 seconds, etc, for 8 levels. Give yourself one minute between "sprints", and add two to three seconds for each level. It's not exactly the same, but it's better than not having the resets.
    1. Jump Rope
    2. Foundational Footwork
    3. V-Ups
    4. Side Lifts
    5. Bell Raises
    6. Kick Backs
    7. Arm Circles
    8. Side Kicks
    9. High Pulse
    10. Low Pulse
    11. Row Machine SSL Style

Try to finish strong on the row machine, and be sure to get a good recovery technique, like a rub down or Epsom salt bath. If you have some energy at the end of the row period, either continue on the row machine, jump the heavy rope for 2-4 minutes (not easy), or whatever core/cardio exercise grabs your fancy.